mgo.licio.us

"The face of the operation is Briatore (referred to exclusively in the film by his colleagues and angry, chanting detractors as "Flavio"), an anthropomorphic radish who spends most of his time at QPR plotting to fire all of the managers."

At press time, Harbaugh had sent Michigan’s athletic department an envelope containing a heavily annotated seating chart, a list of the 63,000 seat views he had found unsatisfactory, and a glowing 70-page report on section 25, row 12, seat 9, which he claimed is “exactly what the great sport of football is all about.”

I can appreciate the value of a coach showing enthusiasm, excitement, and intensity during the game even if it's just to get the players motivated. But I also feel it is somewhat contradictory to teach the players to play under control when the coach is a fire-breathing maniac on the sidelines.

At the game I remember seeing an IU coach help Darboh up after he was eventually pushed out of bounds on that play. We (the people sitting around me) thought it looked as though he was congratulating him on a great play...he slapped him on the butt and was smiling while yelling something to him as he walked away. He looked way too excited to have just witnessed up close one of his guys getting owned by an opponent, but it was still cool to see.

...I ran the scan from TrendMicro and it found nothing. Yet the problems persist. I have a feeling there is some obvious step(s) I am overlooking to fix this (buying a Mac doesn't count), but this is getting frustrating.

Is this about media attention or sending a message to the administration that Brandon needs to be gone? ESPN/media aren't going to have any impact on that change...if so it would have already happened by now. I just don't see how them saying "yep, people didn't show up because they want the AD canned" is going to somehow resonate more with the President/Board. They know already.

While the recruits may have never asked about or specifically mentioned the attendance, do you believe the overall game atmosphere was/is never a factor in the decision? I always thought playing in the Big House was part of our "sell".

Thank you, sir, but I was there. I am fully aware of the state of affairs...as is everyone who has any knowledge of Michigan, B1G, or likely even college football as a whole. It was sad how playing away yesterday seemed like more of an advantage than playing at home...no booing (coaches, players, whatever).

I want a change too, and have voiced my concerns. Just because something doesn't change according to my schedule doesn't mean it won't happen. I guess when people are making fun of me, I'm not the kind of guy to create fuel for the fire.

I still don't understand why we need to further embarrass the program to restate a point that has already been made loud and clear. Recruits will be here who likely aren't involved with the AD drama. Seems like we're kicking ourselves in the crotch for our own amusement now.

I will be there cheering for the players regardless of the other stuff going on. It saddens me to think that it may be to our advantage to play away from the Big House so the players can focus on the task at hand. I can't imagine trying to stay focused and together when there is so much garbage surrounding the program.

For those feeling the need to stick it to DB and BH, I applaud any who find a way to do that OUTSIDE of the game setting. It has to be near impossible for the players to truly distinguish the boos for DB vs. BH vs. them. I fully understand and agree with most of the frustration directed at the program right now. But at the same time, these kids are still representing the university every time they step on the field. UofM has enough ridicule directed at them right now from all over the country, so the last thing I want to do is add to that any further. For some, I feel the notion of "cutting off your nose to spite your face" is quite applicable here. Boycotting games, wearing rival colors, etc. seems so counterproductive. I'm pretty sure all those in power are quite aware of the growing disdain for the program's leadership. Is contributing to the dysfunction and mockery of our team really going to accomplish anything other than further embarassment? Do we need more press coverage? Are we creating an environment that a quality coach would want to come into?

I did not attend UofM, but have been a proud supporter since I moved to Ann Arbor 12 years ago. I will continue to buy my season tix as long as I am able. And I will yell for this team until I am unable to do so. I had a talk with my 6-year old son about what it means to be loyal. You pull for your team in good times and bad. You don't have to like and/or agree with everything, but you don't abandon the team...especially one of kids/students.

I still feel like the facts are unclear about this instance, so I was referring to historical examples of poor judgement...there is no proof (to my knowledge) that Hoke would have not taken action sooner had he not been instructed or advised to do so based on lack of definitive evidence, incomplete process, etc.

I just don't understand how/why people are so quick to condemn without knowing all of the facts...needless to say, I pray I never report to some of the folks on here in a future career move. :-)

I'm one of those people who tries to take a step back and look at things logically...remove emotions from the mix (i.e. My first solution to any problem is not "fire someone!").

Honestly, please enlighten me as to the other shady decisions Hoke has made in his time here that would justify the immediate reaction of "he clearly covered this up and should be fired.". I will gladly change my perspective here in the presence of facts...

I don't understand why people are still harping on Hoke and/or Brandon about what they said, didn't say, didn't do, etc. I have yet to see anything in Hoke's or Brandon's time at UM that would indicate they were light on disciplinary issues. Numerous players have been suspended or dismissed from the team for "lesser" offenses. Hoke never seemed to have much regard for the "importance or value" of said players when taking action (JT Floyd, Stonum, Hagerup, Touissaint, etc). From all accounts I have seen or heard, Hoke is a very high-character guy. Why can't people give him the benefit of the doubt that he handled the situation as he was likely instructed to do based on the info he had? Why do so many have to assume the worst and demand firing when there is no precedent of shady character or relaxed discipline policies? I think the sense of entitlement by some fans is getting out of control.

Did anyone else see when the OSU asst. coach pushed Jake Ryan following the brawl? A UM trainer/manager had picked up the loose OSU helmet on the field and was walking over to hand it to an OSU player. Jake Ryan took it from him to take over to the player. Jake calmly walked with his arm outstretched to a player who was trying to take the helmet back, then an OSU asst. coach comes flying in, grabs the helmet away from Jake, and shoves him in the chest. Jake handled it well and walked back to the sideline, but our section exploded when we saw that. Neither Jake nor the OSU guy were showing any aggression at that point, so it seemed a little uncalled for.

My take on the picture: Certainly not fit to run an offense, but more than qualified to critique every player's performance, second guess every coaching decision, more effectively run a major university...

I downloaded this roster, but it seems to be incomplete for Michigan with only a few players named (if I recall correctly, just QBs). Is this still a work in progress, or am I missing something...aside from the names of all the other players?

I hail from Early, TX with a thriving population of 2,762. This adds absolutely nothing to the post, but I can't think of a time in my life where it made sense to mention that I was from Early, TX...so I will enjoy the opportunity now.

As noted by a few others on this board, I was about 10 feet from this whole incident. Initially, we thought there was a fight between a ND fan and Michigan fan by the way everyone was acting, but then we saw the man lying on the row of seats. While it seemed like an eternity at the time (since the guy was clearly unconscious), the emergency staff were there quickly, took control of the situation, and got him out of there fast.

It was very scary and surreal to watch (and somewhat odd as fans all over were cheering as DRob and Junior just scored our first TD of the night). The fan who was performing CPR did an amazing job of staying cool and doing what needed to be done.

As there was no good way to find out how the guy was doing after the fact, it was a great relief to see the article and hear the guy is doing well.

Thanks for posting. This is some good closure on an amazing night that I'll never forget.